RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – With more than 1,400 firefighters battling more than a dozen wildfires in the western part of North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory is planning to provide an update on the situation Monday.
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Firefighters from one western Wake County station, along with firefighters from other Triangle-area fire stations, are out west helping to try and contain the fires.CLICK FOR FULL NC WILDFIRES COVERAGE
On Friday there were less than 1,000 crews helping, now there are around 1,400.
As the crews grow, so have the fires, many of which are being investigated as arson.
Officials said that more than a dozen wildfires are burning nearly 34,000 acres.
Luckily, some rain fell Sunday night, but it wasn’t enough to impact the fires. Officials said they were hopeful that the rain will help stop the spread of the fire.
Firefighters said the fire danger will rise again as drier weather returns and more leaves fall.
There are evacuations taking place in several North Carolina counties – some are mandatory evacuations.
The Red Cross opened a shelt for those with nowhere to go. Over the weekend, McCrory announced that the Federal Emergency Managment Agency (FEMA) will pay for 75 percent of the emergency protective measures taken in fighting the fires.
McCrory will hold his news conference at the Lake Lure Incident Command Center in Lake Lure at 9:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, authorities report more favorable weather conditions are helping with containment efforts. Temperatures Monday are forecast to be in the high 50s to low 60s with relative humidity in the upper 30-percent range.
For example, officials say containment on the 650-acre Old Roughy fire in Graham County jumped to 60 percent Sunday from 8 percent while containment on the 7,100-acre Maple Springs fire improved slightly, from 13 percent to 15 percent.
An evacuation order issued Wednesday for some residents on the east side of the Old Roughy fire was lifted Sunday afternoon.